The Russian oblast of Kaliningrad, sandwiched uncomfortably between Poland and Lithuania, has long been Moscow’s forward-most outpost in Europe and thus an invaluable asset for Russian power projection. The former Prussian city of Konigsberg, which was renamed Kaliningrad by the Soviets in 1946, is an armed-to-the-teeth battle post and principal naval base for Russia’s Baltic fleet. It also lies more than 400 miles from Russia proper and just two to three hours by car from the major port city